Inside
by Isabella Wolf
Summary: My first attempt at a story - A girl's inner power is awoken showing similer traits to Riddick except she appears to have a fear of what is inside her while Riddick has embraced his maybe a little too well.
1. The Opening of the Cage

She couldn't contain the fire inside its prison and she felt the leakage start to contaminate her very blood. Her heart began to beat a dreadful rhythm as it filled her ears with the sound and her very vision danced with the pulse. She gasped as the sensations overloaded her senses and she reached forwards to the man who stood before her almost unable to breathe. He took her into his arms and held her as her lungs ached, their eyes locked as though he were trying to visually see the fire that was now thick in her blood. "…H…h…help…" was all she could muster.

He looked confused and searched within himself to think how he could help her, all the while never moving his sight from her face. He knew what she was feeling but he was more able to embrace it. She was fighting it. Her legs failed her and he caught her enough to bring her to her knees gently to the wooden floor. The ragged sounds from the girl were filling his mind with memories of Jack…of Kyra…when she was afraid and when she was dying. And now this girl was going the same way. Her heart wouldn't take much more.

Eyes dancing wildly and glowing slightly gold, Ilfray wouldn't last much more then a few minutes. For a moment he forgot where he was as he watched her chest heave with effort to draw in life while her hands strangled the flesh on his forearms until red marks appeared. "R…Riddick…." It was enough to close his primal curiosity down. He grabbed the back of her neck and laid her down to the floor. With one hand on her neck to keep a note on the pulse he stared at her deeply. Intently, he growled and commanded fear to rise inside her. Fear of him. He moved his thumb so that now her neck sat inside the web of his thumb and index before squeezing slightly.

The girl could fight. She had spirit. And he could hear every beat of that heart which was now sounding more close a machine piston because it was so fast. How was she still alive?

"Let it take you" He growled softly. It was a command. Her eyes held its response as her mouth tried to form the words. It was along the lines of "Are you crazy?" Before even the first sound of protest escaped her lips he squeezed the soft flesh that was beneath his hand and felt the pulse merging with his.

Her hands had moved swiftly from his forearms to the single palm that was on her neck. She shook her head slightly and quickly and he felt her pulse remain the same. Her eyes were bloodshot but the gold tint remained. He growled disapprovingly and squeezed a little more. Her mouth opened in shock and now her legs were in play as they flailed out to kick him and her hands started to draw blood from his wrists and knuckles. He smiled. She was a hell cat if he ever met one.

"Either it will kill you or I will. Make a choice." It was put simply and the tone he used never changed. She bared her teeth at him in response and a growl of her own escaped from her mouth…no…not her mouth he noted. Her chest. It came from inside her. Like something was living in there. He squeezed enough to make her face change colour and he held his position as she kicked at his kneeling body. She was now trying to scream and he could feel the pulse slowing down. Her eyes were fury. Pure primal instinct wanting to rip into him.

"Beautiful" Riddick said, almost hypnotized, as a strangled roar and now fully golden eyes were aimed at him. Next thing he knew, he was flying through the air, his mid section aching from what felt like a sledge hammer. His back smashed into a bookcase on the wall before falling to the floor. Ilfray had managed to tuck her knees into herself and then bolted her legs outwards sending him airborne. She rolled onto her side in a fetal position and coughed violently as she regained her breathing.

Her head was dizzy and the room was spinning with a display of super colours and blinking fairy lights that floated around her. Riddick had already got to his feet with little complaint other then a grunt of acknowledgement to his now bruised back and mid section. As he approached, he could see that Ilfray was holding onto her head as if it might fall off at any moment and her eyes were squeezed shut. He walked over to the cabin's windows and closed the ornate metal shutters before removing his goggles and returning to her.

In the darkness she was already feeling better. Her eyes had managed to open themselves again but she still had trouble getting to her feet. She turned towards the sound of his boots and on all fours started to back away. He stopped as he waved his hands gently over her line of vision. She didn't react and her breathing was still a little fast. Looking at her eyes he could tell they were no longer solid in colour and had figured that her primal nature had passed. Which meant, she couldn't see in the darkness. She was vulnerable.

He stood there watching her on all fours crouched on the floor for a moment before allowing his voice to vibrate the very air around them. He noted her pale skin glowed in the darkness and her dark eyes and hair lit up in a mixture of spectrums. "I didn't have a choice. You needed to be…distracted." It was an answer to the question he knew she would ask. She seemed to focus now in his general direction and she looked upwards and could see the glow of his silver blue eyes. When she saw him she gasped and quickly scuttled backwards on the floor, her hands blindly seeking a path through the black.

"You…you didn't have to choke me you bastard" she hissed. She still hadn't fully caught her breath but that may have been down to a bruised windpipe. "You were fighting the change. If I hadn't you'd be dead now." She had now reached a wall and had sat with her back against it, her knees pulled into her chest, her eyes never leaving his. "The change….you….you make it sound like it's an honor. I felt like I was…" "Losing yourself?" Riddick finished.

Her silence prompted him to continue. "Like everything is moving too fast for you to see and your body suddenly feels like its on fire. Almost like an explosion. An animal being let loose from its cage." Ilfray simply nodded. The boot steps resumed and she tensed as she felt Riddick's hands on her small wrists, supporting her as she stood. He simply slipped an arm around her and guided her to the sofa that was in the middle of the room opposite a solar fire panel. She managed to feel out the pillows and placed them at her head before passing quickly into a state of sleep.

Riddick satisfied she would be asleep for some time, started to make his way out. He needed to make sure they hadn't been followed from the city as well as get them some food. He snapped his goggles back on and made sure the area was safe before making his way into wilderness.


	2. Walk With Me

Ilfray remembered closing her eyes only for a moment it seemed. When she awoke, the ache along the side she had slept on told her it was longer. She didn't mean to fall asleep. The idea was to rest a while and then try to get herself centered. The last few days had been a nightmare and almost always constantly in the dark. She had started to forget what the sky looked like in the day or how bright and vivid everything looked. The day they managed to get out of Ryel was the first time in 4 nights she managed to see the sun and smell air that hadn't been processed through ventilation systems.

She pushed herself upright and groaned as her neck responded with pain. Her fingers gently probed the flesh and muscle and wondered how her companion had known of her experience. She knew already he was a killer and it was fear that initially held her to his side. "Riddick?" It was almost a whisper as the dark was still as thick as ever. He didn't open the shutters and had left her in endless black. She slowly got to her feet and with her hands and a few stubbing of toes, she was able to find the desk that had been beneath the window. Lifting her hands up she found the iron latch and released it, swinging them inward.

Her efforts were for naught as it was now evening and with no moon to light the grounds all she could see were the stars. The moon was also absent the night she met Riddick…

It was just a walk. A simple night time walk to clear her head from countless hours of writing reports and statistics. She couldn't stand such tasks but being a Cyberian required a level of skill in all matters involving the universal network. Including writing up hours of pointless jargon. Throwing her glasses on the desk and rubbing her eyes she tried to figure out what the hell she was thinking to get into this line of work. Sighing with frustration at the digital text that seemed to mock her she grabbed her coat and keys. She needed to feel alive again. Like she hadn't just been an organic processor for the last 8 hours.

As she stepped out onto the city street, she noted how peaceful it was. It must be late for it to be like this and the blacked out windows across from her building confirmed it. As she started to walk she noted she didn't even bother to change clothes before she sat down to work. The wind was chilling her shins and feet as she only wore 3/4 black trousers and black flat shoes. Thankfully she still wore her grey jumper beneath her black coat. She wore mainly earth or dark tones because she found that people ignored her more if she did. Strangely, she didn't enjoy being hassled when she was out in the public eye.

As she took in the starlit air she allowed her gaze to wonder upwards to the sky. The stars were barely visible thanks to the lights of the city. In a way she hated it. She felt it was almost a crime to hide the night from the world in this way. For a city to try and outshine the stars was celestial murder. She did enjoy a good blackout when it happened. Strange to say she felt the most alive in the darkness. Where no judging eyes could see her and she was free to be….to be….

A hand attached to a powerful forearm had struck out of a nearby alley and with a swift jerk pulled her into the darkness with it. Another hand joined in touching her, this time clamped around her mouth as she felt a body, solid and hot pressed against her back. She screamed pointlessly knowing he had her. She could smell the testosterone. A warm almost booming sensation immersed her left ear. "Scream and I will kill you. Just follow my lead and I will let you go." Her heart hammered as she nodded and her eyes welled up with fear. She felt him inhale deeply like someone enjoying the scent of their meal at a table before eating.

She felt something sharp stab into her lower back near the side of her spine, just enough to tell her it was there before he released her mouth and arranged himself so that they looked like a couple walking down the street. With his powerful arm around her, she had no choice but to go where he led. As they walked out of the alley and into the nearby street lights she looked up briefly to see her would-be kidnapper. He was hooded and all she could see was a strong jaw. The rest of him was covered in his cloak which was a dark brown with clean and archaic style. Typical fashion of New Mecca she noted. So that's where he came from.

No words were exchanged as they kept walking. The streets were empty and not even the night guards appeared on their usual patrol. Where was everyone? "Your protectors won't be joining us". The words rumbled gently above her head and seemed to vibrate through his skin as she felt them through the fingers that held her. "Then why do you need me? You don't need a cover." She was surprised at her own boldness but logic was her domain and she hated being treated like an idiot.

A small smile crept on the man's face making him seem almost….warm in nature. "Your smart…lets see if you can figure it out." He purred. She felt anger rise through her. She hated guessing games but he had laid down a challenge and she took it up with relish. She knew the city well and started to think. He was covering his appearance, he properly dispatched the guards on the local patrol, he wasn't irrational or impulsive….It meant he was a wanted man. So he needed to escape. He needed a ship or at least a hideout of the city.

"You're taking us to the 'ports. And they are always heavily guarded and full of people so you needed a cover. Me." She growled and it caught her off guard. The man smiled….


End file.
